Your guide to the World gods, spirits, demons and legendary monsters

God Name and Meaning

List of Gods
: "BuddhistIndia"

God of fire. God of the sacrificial fire and the intercessor between gods and mankind, Agni is the son of KASYAPA and ADITI or, alternatively, of Dyaus and PRTHIVI. Color: red. Attributes: seven arms and sometimes the head of a goat, carrying a wide variety of objects....

The second dbyani buddba or meditation buddha. One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of a human buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. Emanations include HERUKA, MANJUSRI, VAJRAPANI and a large number of minor names. See also AMITABHA, AMOGHASIDDHI, RATNASAMBHAVA and VAIROCANA....

The fourth dhyani buddha or meditation buddha. One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of a human buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. Color: red. Attributes: lock of hair, lotus, monk's robe and water jar. Amitabha is also taken as a tutelary god in Lamaism [Tibet] in which case his attributes include bell, jewel and three monkish robes. Emanations include PADMAPANI, MANJUSRI and many other minor names. See also AKSOBHYA, AMOGHASIDDHI, RATNASAMBHAVA and VAIROCANA....

The fifth dhyanibuddha or meditation buddha. One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of a human buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. Color: green. Attributes: staff and sometimes seven-headed snake. Amoghasiddhi is also taken as a tutelary deity in Lamaism [Tibet] in which case his attributes include bell, three monkish robes and prayer wheel. Emanations include Visvapani and many other minor names. See also AKSOBHYA, AMITABHA, RATNASAMBHAVA and VAIROCANA....

Bodhisattva or buddhadesignate. One of the most important deities of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism. In Lamaism he is the tutelary god of Tibet. He equates with VIS NU in Hinduism and bears links with PADMAPANI. In cosmic mythology he is a creator deity. Color: white or red. Attributes: blue lotus, image of Amitabha (topmost pyramidal head), lotus, rosary, sword and water jar. NOTE: in Chinese Buddhism he is represented by the goddess Kuan-Tin, and in Japanese by KWANNON....

Acala, is the best known of the Five Wisdom kings of the Womb Realm. Acala means "The Immovable One" in Sanskrit. Acala is also the name of the eighth of the ten stages of the path to buddhahood. Acala is the destroyer of delusion and the protector of Buddhism. Buddhist / India

Supreme god. Probably originated as a jaguar god but came to rule the destinies of the world. He was thought to live like ordinary people and could reveal himself as man or god at will. He is depicted in anthropomorphic form, but with huge fangs and a cat-like wrinkled face with whiskers coming from his nose. He received sacrificial victims hurled from the top of a high cliff....

The ghost of someone who killed in hunting. Those who see him face to face are burnt by the flash of his eye, or are torn to pieces by his dogs, or have their livers extracted and eaten by the fairies who accompany him. Indian

Bodhisattva one of the eight great bodhisattvas. His name can be translated as "boundless space treasury" or "void store" as his wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself. He is sometimes known as the twin brother of the "earth store" bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. In Japan he is known as Kokuzo. Buddhist / India

An Indian nymph, who was passionately loved by Dionysus, but could not be induced to yield to his wishes, until the god changed himself into a tiger, and thus compelled her by fear to allow him to carry her across the river Sollax, which from this circumstance received the name of Tigris. Greek

A celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahayana school of Buddhism. According to these scriptures, Amitabha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakara. Buddhist / India

The boddhisattva of 'infinite light'. Amithba represents the primordial, self-existent Buddha. This god was born from a lotus and ceaselessly stretches out aid to the weak and faltering. Amithba became a popular way of salvation for many Buddhists because he was the archetype of compassion, gentle and easygoing.

Primordial mother goddess. Known locally from east central India and worshiped by the Dravidian tribe of Telugu. She is said to have generated the cosmic egg in the sea of milk from which the major gods BRAHMA, VIS'NU and SIVA were born....

That is, the charity, was wife of an ancient Indian rishi (sage) named Atri. In the Ramayana, she appears living with her husband in a small hermitage in the southern periphery of the Forest of Chitrakuta. She was very pious, and always practiced austerities and devotion. Hindu

Local vegetation goddess. Worshiped by the Oraon tribe of Chota Nagpur. The recipient of human sacrifice in the spring months, she was believed to endow riches on the sacrificer and to ensure plentiful harvest while living in his house in the form of a child....

Form of the god V IS'NU. The patron deity of kitchens and food. A shrine at Srirangam in southern India contains two-armed bronze images of the god. Attributes: a ball of rice in one hand, and in the other a container of payasa (sweetened milk and rice)....

God. The god SI IVA combined with his SAKTI as a single being. His attendant animal is the bull. In iconography the left side of the image is female and the right male. A tutelary deity of eunuchs in India. Attributes: (right side) blue lotus, cup, hatchet, lute, moon disc, pestle, skin, sword and trident; (left side) ax, mirror, noose, pitcher, rosary, sacred rope and trident. May appear as three-headed. Also Ammaiappan (Tamil); Naranari....

Creator god. With VIS'NU and SIVA, Brahma is one of a trinity of supreme creator deities in the Hindu pantheon. Brahma is depicted with four heads, often bearded, facing in four directions, and with four hands, sometimes with one of them raised in blessing or promise. As a god of knowledge he often carries the Vedas (earliest Sanskrit mythology said to have sprung from his head) in one of his hands. According to one legendary source he was created from the right side of the primordial creator force....

The founder of Buddhism. The deity is regarded as having been an historical figure, born at Kapilavastu near Gorakhpur. He died at Kusinagara in circa 486 BC. His father was SUDDHODANA of the Sakya clan, his mother was MAYA and his wife YASODHARA. Buddha is, in certain respects, the equal of the Hindu god VIS NU. H...

vegetation goddess. Worshiped by the Khonds in Bengal. She was the recipient of human sacrifice to ensure good harvest, particularly of the spice turmeric, and as a protection against disease and infirmity. The sacrificial victim or meriab was youthful, often kept for years as a holy person before death and was always either the offspring of a previous sacrificial victim, or purchased from impoverished families for the purpose. He or she was generally strangled, sometimes in the fork of a tree, after days of festivities. In other instances the victim was cut up alive....

A ferocious aspect of Hindu goddess Shakti or Devi. Bhavani means "giver of life", the power of nature or the source of creative energy. In addition to her ferocious aspect, she is also known as Karunaswaroopini, "filled with mercy". India

Gods. A generic name given to deities of youthful appearance who are arranged in ten groups all with the suffix -kumara. Thus AGNI-; ASURA-; DIK-; DVIPA-; NAGA-; STANITA-; SUPARNA-; UDADHI-; VAYU-; VIDYUT-....

Fertility goddess. The second wife of VIS NU (or KRSNA). Her son is Naraka. Bhumidevi is often depicted standing on the left (occasionally right) hand of the VARAHA avatara of Vis nu. In the north she is known as PUSTI. She is often depicted sitting on a lotus throne with bared breasts. Attributes: blue lotus, lotus, lute, pomegranate, pot with herbs, pot with vegetables and water jar. Also Bhu, Bhudevi, BHUMI, MAHI, PRTHIVI, VASUDHARA and Zami-Mata....

A type of evilspirit. It is especially the evilghost of a man who has died due to execution, accident, or suicide. People protect themselves by lying on the ground, because the bhutas never rest on earth. In the Bhagvad Gita, Krishna the Avatar declares that the humans who worship bhutas become bhutas themselves. India

Generic title for a buddha-designate. Any one of the earlier stages of a future buddha. Depicted wearing regal dress and trappings, including a crown. The most significant include AVALOKITESVARA, MAITREYA and MANJUSRI....

God of light. A local deity in the Orissa province who created the earth goddess TARI PENNU as his consort and through her engendered the other great gods. Until recently this deity was the subject of sacrifice in notorious meriah rituals, which involved violent human sacrifice....

God of war. Classed as one of the ZEMIS. The local Indians have believed that the deity can give them strength. When they smoke in a ritual ceremony in honor of the god, their arms increase in size. He will also restore failed eyesight....

Goddess of the coca plant. Minor goddess who oversees the harvest of the coca crop. Models of the deity were made from the leaves of the plant and kept for a year before being burned in a ritual to ensure a good coca harvest....

Jjustice. The god of law who originates as a creator god and one of the sons of Brahma, but almost certainly derives from the dharmas or archetypal patterns of society identified in the Rg Veda. According to tradition he is the consort of thirteen daughters of DAKSA and the father of Yudhisthra. Also regarded as a minor avatara of VISNU, appearing as a bull standing for the redemption of souls....

I.e. he is dead. Jones is a corruption of Jonah, the prophet, who was thrown into the sea. Locker, in seaman's phrase, means any receptacle for private stores; and duffy is a ghost or spirit among the West Indian negroes. So the whole phrase is, "He is gone to the place of safe keeping, where duffy Jonah was sent to."

(1) God. The more commonly recognized name of the elephant god GANESA, particularly favored in western India.(2) God. Buddhist (Mahayana). The name of a deity influenced by the Hindu god Ganesa. Depicted riding upon a rat or mouse and carrying an assortment of attributes....

The Persian and Indian genii had a corporeal form, which they could change at pleasure. They were not guardian or attendant spirits, but fallen angels, dwelling in Ginnistan, under the dominion of Eblis. They were naturally hostile to man, though compelled sometimes to serve them as slaves.

Generic term for a local tutelary deity. Such deities are identified as not being served by Brahman priests. Most are goddesses e.g. CAMUNDA, DURGA and KALI. Generally they are invoked in small villages where they guard boundaries and fields and are represented by a painted stone, but they are also to be found in larger towns and cities....

Creator goddess. Also known as Kunapipi, she is extensively revered by aborigines in northern Australia, including the Yolngu people. Her cult bears some similarity to that of the Greek mother goddess DEMETER and to Tantric cults in India. For this reason the cult is thought to have been introduced from Asia to Arnhem Land and then to other parts of the Australian continent as early as the sixth century. Mythology indicates that Gunabibi has been perceived as a deity who came from the sea or the rivers during the Dreamtime but who reigns now over dry land. Among modern aborigines she is the subject of esoteric rituals which also involve the great serpent Yulunggul with whom Gunabibi has been closely involved....

Iroquois (North American Indian). He was empowered by the spirit of thunder, Hino, to conquer the Great water Snake, enemy of humankind. The serpent devoured Gunnodoyak but was then slain by Hino, who cut open the snake, recovered the body of Gunnodoyak and returned him to his rightful place in heaven....

Plague god. Particularly associated with smallpox. Believed to be so terrible that he is not even propitiated with food. He sails in a canoe of pestilence with huge sails like those of the white man's ships which brought plague to the Indians....

Monkey god. Hanuman attends RAMA, one of the incarnations of VISINU, and personifies the ideal and faithful servant. He is the son of PAVANA, the god of winds, and is noted for his speed and agility in which context he is often worshiped by young men and athletes. He leads a mythical Forestarmy of monkeys, and is depicted as a monkey with a long tail. He takes a major role in the Ramayana epic searching for, and rescuing, the goddess SITA who has been captured by the demon Ravana. He may appear trampling on the goddess of Lanka [Sri Lanka]. Worshiped particularly in southern India but more generally in villages. Color: red. Attributes: bow, club, mane, rock and staff. May appear five-headed....

Plague god, also a wedding god. A locally worshiped deity known particularly in Bundelkhand, northern India, as a protector against cholera and considered to have been an historical figure who died in AD 1627....

(1) Mother goddess. One of the group of MATARAS (mothers) who are the patrons of children. Considered by some to be identical with the goddess Vriddhi. Her consort is Pancika, alternatively KUBERA. In her destructive aspect she steals and eats children. Particularly known from the north and northwest of India. Attribute: a child may be held at her hip, sometimes being eaten.(2) Plague goddess. Buddhist. Associated with smallpox. Also regarded in some texts as the goddess of fertility....

Great spirit who gives the gifts of the earth. From a buckskin pouch he takes the sacred Indian tobacco and sprinkling it on the fire for incense makes certain motions of his hands toward the sky. Sometimes he will fan the fire with a turkey wing fan. Iroquois

God. One of the most popular deities in the pantheon, though probably owing much to the influence of the Hindu god S IWA. Originally an epithet for another Hindu god, GANESA, but in Buddhism seen as an emanation of AKSOBHYA. His SAKTI is NAIRAMATA and the product of their liaison is nirvana (eternal bliss). Typically he stands upon a corpse. In northeastern India, Heruka is worshiped as a compassionate god. Attributes: club, flayed human skin, image of Aksobhya, jewel, knife, fifty skulls, sword, staff and teeth....

Tribal god. The personification of the thunderbird known to many Indian tribes. The noise of the thunder is caused by the beating of its wings, and when it opens its eyes there is lightning. The thunder clouds are its cloak....

weather god. Also perceived as a thunder god, he became syncretized with Santiago, the patron saint of Spain. The Indians called Spanish firearms Ilyapa. Also Inti-Ilyapa; Coqi-Ilya; Illapa; Katoylla....

Goddess of wrath. Daughter of Puloman, a demonic figure killed by the god INDRA, and the SAKTI and consort of Indra. One of seven MATARAS (mothers) who in later Hinduism became regarded as of evil intent. Also one of a group of eight ASTAMATARAS personifying jealousy (also named Aindri in this capacity). In another grouping one of nine NAVASAKTIS or astral deities who, in southern India, rank higher than the SAPTAMATARAS. Her attendant animal is either an elephant or a lion. Attributes: hook, rosary, Santana flower, staff and waterjar. One thousand-eyed. Also Aindri; Mahendri; Paulomi; Saci; Sujata....

Sun god. His consort is the moon goddess MAMA-KILYA. Inti was depicted as a trinity in the sanctuaries in Cuzco, possibly in deference to the Christian Trinity. The Temple of the Sun is reported to have housed images, in gold, of all the sky gods in the Inca pantheon on more or less equal terms, since the Sun is regarded as one of many great celestial powers. Inti may also have been depicted as a face on a gold disc. The socalled fields of the Sun supported the Inca priesthood. The three Sundeities are Apo-Inti (lord Sun), Cori-Inti (son Sun) and Inti-Wawqi (sun brother). The Sun god(s) is perceived as the progenitor of the Inca rulers at Cuzco through two childrena son Manco Capac and his sister / consort Mama Ocllo Huaco. The Quechua Indians of the central Andes call the same deity Inti Huayna Capac and perceive him as part of a trinity with the Christian god and Christ....

moon goddess. Also the goddess of childbirth and Medicine and of Rain bows. A consort of the Sun god. She has a major shrine as Cozumel and small figurines of the goddess have been conventionally placed beneath the beds of women in labor. Such women are considered to be in great danger at times of lunar eclipse when the unborn child may develop deformities. Ix Chel is a guardian against disease and the Quiche Indians regard her as a goddess of fertility and sexual inter course. A goddess of weaving, believed to be the first being on earth to weave cloth, she was employed in this craft when she first attracted the attention of the Sun god. She carries her loom sticks across the sky to protect her from jaguars. Under Chris tian influence she has been largely syncretized with the Virgin Mary.See also IX CHEBEL YAX....

The Gehenna or Inferno of the Arabs. It consists of seven stages, one below the other. The first is allotted to atheists; the second to Manicheans; the third to the Brahmins of India; the fourth to the Jews; the fifth to Christians; the sixth to the Magians or Ghebers of Persia; and the seventh to hypocrites. The Koran

At first there was neither earth nor sky, Shuzanghu and his wife Zumiang-Nui lived alone...In due time Zumiang-Nui gave birth to a baby-girl, Subbu-Khai-Thung, who is the earth and to a baby-boy, Jongsuli-Young-Jongbu, who is the sky. India

Goddess of misfortune. The elder sister of the goddess LAKSMI, Jyestha personifies poverty and is depicted with a large belly and long nose. In earlier Hinduism she was worshiped particularly in southern India. Also a NAKSATRA of evil influence; daughter of DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). Her animal is an ass. Attributes: arrow, banner with crow, cup, blue lotus, hair-ornament and staff....

A monstrous evilspirit slain by Rama. A son of the goddess Sriand "covered with hair, vast as a mountain, without head or neck, having a mouth armed with immense teeth in the middle of his belly, arms a league long, and one enormous eye in his breast." India

Son of Mudjekeewis, and the Indian Boreas, who dwelt in Wabasso (the North). He paints the autumn leaves scarlet and yellow, sends the snow, binds the rivers in ice, and drives away the seagull, cormorant, and heron. North-American

'The black.' In Vedic days this name was associated with Agni (fire), who has seven flickering tongues of flame for devouring oblations of butter. Of these seven, Kali was the black or terrific tongue. India

horse god. Possibly the tenth avatara of VIS'NU. He rewards the good and punishes evil. The counterpart of the Buddhist deity MAITREYA. horses became associated with Divinekingship in ancient India because of their speed of movement. Solar deities were perceived to ride horses across the sky and horse sacrifice became highly significant. Kalki is depicted either anthropomorphically or with the head of a horse and has four arms. He is attended by a white horse. Attributes: arrow, conch, prayer wheel, shield and sword. Also Vis'nuyasas....

A day and night of Brahma, a period of 4,320,000,000 solar-sidereal years. Some say there are an infinity of Kalpas, others limit the number to thirty. A Great Kalpa is a life of Brahma; the whole duration of time from the creation to the destruction of the world.